Anthropophobia: types and methods of treatment

Anthropophobia is one of the most severe fears, consisting of in fear of people. Those who are afraid of insects may not travel to dense forests, and those who are afraid of air travel can use trains and buses. However, there is no way to live in complete isolation from people.

Anthropophobia can proceed in different ways: from mild discomfort in the environment of people to tangible physical symptoms, among which nausea or dizziness is often found. The fear of people can spread to all representatives of humanity, but more often an anthropophobic patient is afraid of specific social groups or all strangers.

The fear of narrow categories of people is called in its own way, depending on the specific profession, gender, age. Anthropophobes usually combine fear of at least several social groups.

The causes of anthropophobia, unlike many other phobias, are very variable. This is often the result of trauma.

The concepts of anthropophobia and social phobia are often confused, although they are quite close and sometimes complement each other. However, these concepts must be distinguished, since it is a little easier for a social phobe to exist in our world than a real anthropophobe.

The fear of society of people (this is how the concept of social phobia stands for) consists in the experience of intense fear, panic and obsessive anxiety while being in a certain group or in a large group. However, with anthropophobes, everything is more complicated: for such a patient, the company of even one person may be uncomfortable.

If a social phobia is disturbed by various social situations and gatherings of people in one place, anthropophobes are afraid not only of interacting with another person, but also of simply being around. Fears are associated with difficulties in understanding the intentions of another person: it seems to the patient that all people are a danger to him.

Sometimes a phobia of people arises among insecure individuals who are afraid of being misunderstood, ridiculed or humiliated. In this case, they also avoid contact with people, but even just a passing person can pose a potential threat. Usually, it is ineffective to treat anthropophobia specifically - professionals understand its deep causes and find out what personality traits prevent a person from feeling comfortable in human society.

Most often, anthropophobia begins in adolescence. Since during this period the psyche is most vulnerable and a person receives a lot of new experience and new information, at the age of 12-17, many begin to be frightened both by society in general and people in particular. Both young people and girls can get sick with anthropophobia to the same extent. Sometimes the phobia goes away by itself as they grow older, but often it remains for life in one way or another, until a person turns to a psychologist.

Experts urge, first of all, to look for the causes of anthropophobia that has appeared at any age in childhood. Unfavorable and difficult conditions of growing up, an unfriendly conflict situation for a child in a family - many factors can become the basis for the formation of neuroses. Very often, the reason is the experience of physical violence, other psychological trauma, severe stress associated with people in one way or another: all this can become a serious impetus for the development of such a phobic disorder.

Having experienced an unfavorable situation or being in a hostile environment, which may be a family or a school, over time the child comes to the conclusion that he is safer, more comfortable, and calmer alone with himself than with anyone else. Nothing poses a threat, you do not need to expect a catch, you can relax, be yourself and not try to adapt to the imposed norms of behavior.

The further the phobia develops, the more difficult it is for a little person to get rid of distrust of the world and wariness. Over time, all curiosity about human society disappears. Moreover, in loneliness, a person can easily neglect social norms: if such behavior was established in childhood, in an adult state, even after successful treatment of a phobia, restoring communication and behavioral skills in society also takes a lot of time and effort.

Frequent aggressive criticism and complete rejection from respected or loved ones provokes a negative feeling of strong self-doubt. As a result, being near people, the patient constantly expects some kind of catch, aggression, negativity. It seems to a person that others condemn him, because of this he behaves defiantly and strangely for society, and people really begin to condemn him.

The patient finds confirmation of his thoughts and the phobia only intensifies. It is almost impossible to break the vicious circle on your own without the help of psychologists in advanced cases, however, in addition to the work of a specialist, support and understanding from loved ones is a very important factor.

In extreme cases, this phobia is accompanied by a fear of somehow standing out from the majority, a person tries to be invisible and completely loses his individuality. Suffering from such a phobia often perceive the features of their appearance or behavior negatively, they are afraid to become the object of ridicule. It is the fear of not being accepted that often underlies anthropophobia.

It should be noted that difficult childhood experiences by no means always lead to the development of strong neuroses - sometimes a person copes with them himself in the early stages and maintains mental health. And sometimes phobias develop in those in whose fate there were no prerequisites for them: even if the child grew up in a good family, he did not face moral and physical violence.

In this case, it is personal qualities that come to the fore - those features that make a person predisposed to fear of people, for example, shyness or suspicion. In situations like this, only a small push may be enough to develop a phobia.

To the question of what is anthropophobia itself and what its distinctive features can be, psychologists have an answer. Anthropophobia symptoms can only vary in combination with other mental disorders (for example, schizophrenia and other psychoses, autism, bipolar disorder, or dementia).

In most cases, in all people, the phobia manifests itself in approximately the same way and goes in conjunction with the following obsessive fears.

• Fear of all people in general. This kind of panic or discomfort can cause even the sight of a stranger approaching on the street in patients, and communication with people or physical interaction is perceived even more acutely.
• Fear of strangers, strangers. It can be difficult for a person with this kind of disorder to build new social bonds for themselves. Any contact with new people is accompanied by obsessive anxiety, and sometimes trembling, dizziness, nausea.
• Fear of touching other people often also accompanies anthropophobia. Often this fear is the result of the trauma. It is very difficult for such people to be in a crowd where they are accidentally hurt by strangers: in severe cases, the phobia can be accompanied by physical pain.
• Fear of people with certain physical traits - for example, with curly hair, snub-nosed or chubby. Such external features will be very individual for each person with a phobia.
• Fear of people of a certain gender, age, nationality. It is also a disorder that is often associated with trauma during childhood or adulthood. For example, women survivors of violence often fear men afterward.

Anthropophobes are very often afraid to look other people in the eye, and they are also worried about the possibility that others will stare at him or look into his eyes.

Only a professional psychologist or psychotherapist can establish an accurate diagnosis of anthropophobia. It is very easy to confuse this disorder with others, which is why the experience of a specialist matters. It is extremely important to consider all possible criteria for this disease, since in advanced cases it is often mistaken for autism.

It is also important to remember that reluctance to communicate with someone does not always indicate a serious pathology. It very much depends on the character and temperament: for example, introversion is not considered a pathology. A phobia can only be attributed to obsessive fear, which seriously interferes with a person's life and socialization.

For an error-free diagnosis of anthropophobia, it is sometimes not enough to know the symptoms. It is also important to collect anamnesis, communication not only with the patient, but also with his relatives, loved ones, close friends or colleagues. The living conditions of a person and his profession can also tell a lot to an experienced specialist.

Among other things, psychologists use the following diagnostic methods to determine anthropophobia.

• Diagnosis by ECG, viewing computed tomography or MRI. Such measures make it possible to fairly accurately assess the degree of stress or panic in a social situation that is uncomfortable for the patient. Data are collected on the state of the vessels of the brain and on impulses arising in certain areas in the brain.
• The empirical method is simpler and often used. It is also relevant in the presence of other disorders with similar symptoms.
• Patient interview or testing - This is the main diagnostic method, which is the most accessible and versatile. However, the correct interpretation of the answers and tests is very important, and it can only be done correctly by a good specialist.

The forms of anthropophobia can vary depending on a person's specific fears. For example, the following categories very often cause panic.

• Unfamiliar strangers are often the object of fear of an anthropophobe... This is very uncomfortable, because we inevitably encounter strangers every day, as soon as we leave the house. A separate problem lies in the formation of new acquaintances - the patient will in every possible way avoid communicating with new people and will prefer old friends.
• Crowds of people also often cause fear. This is due to the fact that the anthropophobe opposes himself to others: a large crowd of people in this case leads to strong anxiety. Over time, the anthropophobe will prefer not to appear in public places at all and will avoid them in every possible way.
• Fear of communication is also often part of anthropophobia. This isn't about introverts who just need less social interaction than extroverts. Among anthropophobes, the fear of communication will be pronounced, and the desire to reduce social contacts will be obvious, up to complete loneliness.
• Fear of certain categories of people is also very common. It can be a fear of drunks, children, women, surgeons - anyone. This fear is not always a form of anthropophobia, but in some cases, experts attribute it to the fear of people. When diagnosing, it is important to understand the causes. Very often, in anthropophobes, fear begins with one category of people, and then develops and spreads to others.

Obsessive fear of people is a phobia that can develop quickly or slowly and have several stages. The usual course of the disease begins with a mild stage, when the anthropophobe experiences a certain feeling of anxiety while shopping, traveling on public transport, or before going to a party where there will be many strangers.

Usually, many cope with a phobia at this stage on their own: here the willpower of a person, his ability to self-analyze, as well as support from loved ones are of decisive importance.

At the progressive stage of anthropophobia, it becomes much more difficult for the patient to control his actions and emotions in the presence of other people.If such a person has unexpected contact with new people, in this situation there is a high probability of an attack of aggression or, on the contrary, panic and anxiety. Sometimes in some patients with anthropophobia at this stage, unwanted meetings lead to tearfulness, sweating and palpable tremors.

Only professionals will help to cope with the advanced stage... Anthropophobia is characterized to an extreme degree by a significant change in a person's lifestyle. A person with anthropophobia lives extremely apart, prefers loneliness, rarely comes into contact even with those whom he has known all his life, including relatives, close friends or lovers.

If in the early stages it is relatively easy to solve the problem, in this case only compulsory treatment will be effective. Relatives should insist on visiting a psychologist, since the patient himself no longer wants to change anything.

A person can overcome the disease in the early stages with the support of loved ones. In advanced cases, in order to get rid of anthropophobia, it is necessary to consult a psychologist or even a psychiatrist.

The following measures are recommended by experts to overcome the fear of people.

• Emotional relief will help in the early stages. A person must learn to control himself and think that others around him do not pose any real threat to him, as often as possible. It is important to consider obsessive fear from a rational point of view. It is good when there are relatives nearby who will support the anthropophobe and help him. Positive emotional reinforcements are very important - for example, vivid impressions and pleasant events, one way or another related to people.
• Breathing exercises can help with anxiety and panic attacks... The exhalation should be twice as long as the inhalation when the anthropophobe feels the approach of strong anxiety. A loved one, who is nearby, at this time can duplicate the same breathing to make it easier for the patient. This is an effective method for when the phobia begins to manifest itself on the physical level.
• Physical therapy can help, too. At the very least, psychologists advise taking a contrast shower and massage on a regular basis. During an anxiety state, this will help to quickly relieve unpleasant symptoms. It is good if, after a stressful situation, you can take a warm bath, and immediately in the moment of panic, a loved one will massage your back.
• Distracting techniques can work, too. Try to distract yourself from the phobia: count passing cars, passers-by or objects to the room. You can pinch or stroke yourself to distract yourself from your panic attacks.
• Phytotherapeutic effects - This is another auxiliary method that is often practiced by psychologists for various kinds of phobic disorders. To reduce your fear of people, take valerian drops or herbal teas. These are safe remedies to help relieve anxiety. More serious anti-anxiety medications may be tried as directed by your healthcare professional if other remedies do not help. In advanced cases, as a complex therapy, the doctor may recommend various tranquilizers, nootropics and antidepressants for treatment.

For a faster recovery, it is recommended to switch to proper nutrition, drink less alcohol, fried, spicy and sweet. Also Yoga and breathing exercises are considered very useful.

The most effective way to overcome anthropophobia forever is in the early stages of its manifestation.A very important step is the very awareness of the phobia and the need to interact with people. It is difficult at first, so the patient will need willpower, support of relatives and specialists. To prevent the occurrence of phobia, it is recommended to lead a healthy social life and avoid stress, and bring up the child in a friendly atmosphere.

For what anthropophobia is, see below.